Foxstar one half
by Kithrin
Summary: Rewrite of Dragonstar. Phantasy star/Naruto/Ranma cross.A guardian whom believes she is a failure, a martial artist looking for a new life, and a land of ninja's, what can go wrong? OC/OC/Ranma subject to change all other pairings undecided.
1. Prologue 1: An Explosive Exit

FoxStar ½

Disclaimer: this will apply to all chapters; characters are properties of their respective owners.

**_IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE:_**This will be a rewrite of Dragonstar 1/2 With the removal of the Dragonlance Crossover and replacing it with Naruto. As I am Happy with the first two chapters, they will not be altered from the original.

AN1: I am using some races, abilities, and other stuff from Phantasy Star Universe, but many of the characters will be original.

AN2: this will not be a self insert.

Prologue One: An Explosive Exit.

* * *

A young five foot ten woman with chocolate colored skin, red eyes, short blue hair, and long pointed ears looked out the window of her room, deep in thought. This lasted until a buzzer sounded at her door.

Touching a button on her computer to activate the door's communication system, and asked in a calm voice, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Diana," the voice on the other end replied.

Diana smiled as she recognized the voice on the other end. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and then walked to the door. She touched the control panel on the door causing it to open, revealing a four foot tall woman clad in what looks like blue armor with what looks like small thrusters on her shoulders and back. The two lines that ran from under her eyes to her jaw belied her nature.

"We were supposed to go to the graduation ceremony for the new guardians today. Did you forget, Diana?" the blue clad woman asked.

Diana sighed and replied, "Sorry mom I got lost in thought."

Her 'mom' smiled and shook her head. "That's what I thought, good thing I came over to remind you." She glanced over at Diana and continued, "You weren't brooding over **that** again were you?" The look on her 'daughters' face told her what she needed to know. She sighed, and hugged her looking more like a daughter hugging her mother than a mother hugging her daughter with her arms around Diana's waist. "Don't worry I'm proud of you. You showed the rest of the guardians that a Newman doesn't **need** techs to be a good guardian. Remember you are considered to be one of the best fortfighters of the guardians. This is all due to _your_ hard work," The blue clad woman said soothingly.

Suddenly Diana felt an impact at her back and another pair of arms was encircling her waist. A higher pitched voice said, "That's right! Although, you have to get ready if you want to catch your flight, unless you want to leave in your pajamas.

"Oops, I'll get ready right away," Diana said as she dashed into the changing chamber. She came out wearing a top that looked like a miniature kimono that is colored a dark orange and black. There is a glowing flower design on the left hip of the shirt. She is also wearing a pair of tight black shorts and dark orange pair of comfortable and easy to move around in sandals. A cloth belt with a large flowerlike design that settled on the back of the outfit completed the outfit.

Her 'mom' smiled when she came out. "Nice your boyfriend Nathan…"

Diana interrupted her 'mother' "Please, don't EVER mention him again. If I ever see him again it will be too soon."

"What happened?" her 'mother' asked in shock. "Last time I heard you two where getting along great."

"I was having lunch yesterday, when I overheard him talking to a human girl. He was bragging to her that he would win their bet. The bet was that he could lead me on and get into my pants before the month was out. Before I left I heard him say 'who could ever love a freak like her.'" She then sat on the bed as tears slid down her cheek.

Her 'mom' sat beside her and hugged her. On her other side another small woman slightly shorter than Diana's 'mom' also sat down and hugged her. This woman was wearing clothes similar to what Chun-Li was wearing in street fighter three with the addition of two wing like objects coming out of her back.

Her 'mom' replied sadly, "I'm sorry for introducing him to you; I thought that he would be able to see your true self." Her expression hardened in anger as she continued, "I will have a 'talk' with him AND Nav. I know a few missions that Nav needs done that he would be perfect for." She was smiling nastily as she finished

"Mom we should go. Val do you want to come?"

The yet unnamed girl smiled and exclaimed "Sure!"

"By the way Val, Is my axe done?" Diana asked.

"Yup, here it is," As the winged girl said this she produced a huge axe in a flash of light, the axe looked like a giant horn with a glowing white edge. She then handed the axe to Diana.

"Thanks," the red eyed woman replied, as she took the axe and stored it in her nanotransformer.

_Definition: Nanotransformer- a storage device worn at the back of the neck that is approximately the size of a quarter. It can store up to sixty unique Items by miniaturizing said items. _

Her 'mom' looked at her strangely and asked, "Why are you going to the graduation ceremony armed to the teeth? Not to mention that you are probably fully supplied."

"Yup, she had me store away over two hundred trimates yesterday!" Val said excitedly.

"Let's just say I have a bad feeling about today," Diana replied.

"Meet me at the shuttle pad Diana. I need to pick my equipment up from my room, I have learned my lesson about your 'feelings,'" her 'mom' said.

"'kay, mom."

Ten minutes later outside the Parum shuttle port…

"Diana!" a small woman in blue armor yelled as she ran up to her. She now had a glowing mark on her chest plate.

"You made it just in time, our shuttle is boarding right now," Diana said.

The three of them boarded the interplanetary shuttle without incident. The shuttle smoothly took off, passing through the clouds on its way to space. Once in space the shuttle passed through a series of rings, it accelerated as it passed through them. Once it reached the last ring the shuttle vanished in a flash of light.

A few seconds later the shuttle reappears in the last of another set of rings. These rings are in front of a massive space colony. The shuttle smoothly docked with the colony, but as soon as they did a computer counsel started beeping in front of our trio. Being closest to the control Diana hit a button and said, "Guardians Diana and Dementia here, what's the problem?"

A screen pops up (think of Washu's computer screen) showing an old man with a long white beard and goggles that look to have an airplane propeller in each eye piece. The old man replied, "Diana and Dementia, good to see you, but no time for pleasantries, we have multiple seed incursions we need the two of you…"

"Three sir!" Val declared cheerfully.

"Err right, I didn't see you there Val. Well anyway we need the three of you to make your way to A-photon reactor one." After he said that his face assumed a suspicious expression. He then asked, "Did you have a bad feeling today? I know you consider Val a friend, but you usually don't bring her with you to these events."

"Yes headmaster Nav, I did," Diana replied.

Nav sighed and said, "We need to register you bad feelings as an early warning device, the last ten times you have had them they have been right."

"Sorry, sir" Diana replied dejectedly.

"Don't apologize it's a gift."

"Yes sir, we will now head to the problem A-photon reactor one. Diana out," after she said that she hit the off switch.

Dementia stood up and said, "Let's get going Diana, Val."

"Yes mom."

"'kay!"

The three of them took off at a run. Three quarters of the way to the reactor they ran into a group of two foot almost humanoid monsters.

"Damn seed," Diana cursed. Then she continued, "Dark types, time to try out my new axe." The axe appeared in her hands.

"I'll give you fire support Diana!" dementia called out while shooting light infused photon bullets at the seed… from a rifle longer than she was tall.

"I'm heading in!" Val shouted excitedly. Her fist weapons appeared and glowed green.

The battle was short and brutal…

Diana charged in swinging her axe, and cut three enemies apart in a single swing. Blood, guts, and bits of flesh splattered against the walls. Val's fists caved in skulls as if they were rotten melons, ribcages shattered like glass, and limbs broke like sticks. All the while bullet holes the size of a fist appeared wherever Dementia's bullets hit.

"What the HELL! Why are they sending us against such WEAKLINGS?" Diana yelled as she cut through two more like a hot knife through butter.

Diana continued to make Swiss cheese out of the seed as she shouted back, "I don't know, but it does seem odd that they would send us when a couple of rookies would be sufficient. Perhaps they are stronger further in."

"I hope so!" Val chimed in cheerfully, as she decorated the walls with the contents of the last seed's head.

As the last seed fell the blast doors to the next section opened, and the two guardians and partner dashed through.

They rushed through the corridors and rooms… all of them either empty of seed, or seed so weak it ended in a slaughter. They stopped outside the reactor doors to ketch their breath from their running (or to let Diana do so.)

"Goddammit! They sent us here for this? Two rooms of weaklings, and a bunch of empty rooms?" Diana swore angrily.

"Calm down Diana there are probably more at the reactor," Dementia said soothingly.

"I hope so mom, if not I'm going to be pissed, and the headmaster will definitely know," Diana took a deep breath to calm down. "Well let's get in there," Diana said as she hit the button to open the doors.

The door opened to reveal a ten foot humanoid monster. The monster had large swords for arms and a nasty disposition.

Diana smiled and said, "Nice this one looks strong. Okay ugly here I come." She charges in screaming her battle cry, "I am Diana the Dark Diamond of the Alliance of Honor prepare to DIE!" she swung her axe at its waist.

"Wait for me!" Val yelled charging in with her fists swinging.

"Be careful Diana!" Dementia called out while providing covering fire with her rifle.

The bullets make finger width sized holes. The axe made a cut that the monster looked like it might need a Band-Aid for. The monster also received a light bruise from Val's fists. The seed knocks Val and Diana away

"Damn, it's strong!" Diana comments with a manic smile on her face. The smile is the type of smile that says 'I'm fighting for my life and loving every minute of it.' She uses a star atomizer on Val and herself to heal them of their wounds. She then shouts, "Mom, we'll keep it occupied, get a bigger gun out, and hit it from behind."

"Got it!" Dementia said as she switched her rifle out for something that is not only longer than she is tall but also nearly as tall as she is wide. It's roughly oval in shape with the handles on the top of the weapon.

Diana switched her axe out for a two handed sword that glowed red. The sword was four feet long and half a foot wide. It looked like an energy version of Cloud's weapon from final fantasy seven. "All right monster, let's go!" she said as she dashed in. She activated her photon art with a cry of, "Gravity Break!" Three powerful consecutive slashes later, she looked at the result of her handiwork. She pales as she sees that the monster only has three shallow slashes on its leg, deeper than what she did with the axe, but only slightly bothering the monster.

"Diana, LOOK OUT!" Val cried as she ran toward her. The little girl jumped in front her just in time to take the blow for Diana. The blow knocked her into the red eyed woman and sent them both slamming into the generator, and at the same time sending both of them into dreamland. Diana's sword sank into the ground by Dementia.

Dementia fired her grenade launcher until it was out of energy. Each shot caused an explosion at the seed's feet. The seed was obscured in smoke by the third shot. When the smoke cleared the seed was slightly scorched but still standing. On closer examination the slightly scorched look was simply soot from the explosion covering the monster. And the seed was relatively unharmed from the assault. The seed continued to advance until it was standing in front of the generator. "Damn, Diana! Val! Get up!"Diana shouted as the seed lifted its up, and brought it down… getting it stuck in the generator. Warning lights started flashing along with holographic display screens warning Dementia that the reactor was about to blow. Just as the reactor was about to blow up a white globe appeared right next to Diana and Val. The reactor exploded in a brilliant flash frying one of Dementia's mechanical eyes and temporarily. When her vision half recovered she saw pieces of seed distributed around the room but the only evidence that Diana had existed in the room was her sword embedded in the ground at her side…

* * *

Next chapter

Prologue 2

Ranma's Departure.

AN3: yes I purposely made Diana a bit bipolar with a battle personality and a civilian personality

AN4: Diana's not psychic she just has a sense of when the fecal matter's going to hit the rotating air circulation device.


	2. Prologue 2: Ranma's Departure

Prologue two- Ranma's Departure

AN: I Can't accept that Ranma ½ takes place in only one year the anime which doesn't go as far as the manga by multiple books (at least 8) is about one hundred and eighty episodes long, as well as having two movies. For that alone to be in one year Ranma would need to be getting into a new adventure every other day, with the adventures being completed the next day. Since we all know some of the adventures take over a week I'm going to assume that the series takes place over three years. This takes place one year after Saffron so Ranma is twenty years old.

AN2: I know this is a long inner monologue at the front, but I tend to not like extremely long/a lot of flashbacks.

* * *

Five hours relative time before Diana's reactor explosion in another place…

A young man in a red Chinese shirt and black kung-fu pants was sitting on the roof of a local university. He was reading a paper that had his freshman English assignment on it. Next to the pigtailed youth, a rested pile of papers with the name Ranma Saotome on the top of the first page. "Let's see, an eight to ten page paper on my plans for the future…" he read aloud. He picked up the papers and a pen and started thinking while tapping the paper with the pen. _My future, heh I think that this is the first time someone has actually ASKED me what my plans are. Everyone else had already decided what my future will be. Not that I have a lot of choices at present… at least with the current options breathing down my neck. _

_First option, marry Akane. I would be stuck running a poor rundown Dojo, a dojo that hasn't had a student in ten years. My life would be hell. I would be forced to eat that toxic waste that she calls cooking and used as a punching bag whenever she gets the slightest bit jealous. Why do I let her hit me anyway? Why don't I fight back? Oh that's right, if I did our worthless fathers would start whining and yelling about how I treat my fiancée, and my mother would start complaining about my manliness. Oh and can't forget that I would get blackmailed even worse by her sister Nabiki! That would be my life if I married her, nope not interested._ Ranma's hand was unconsciously writing his thoughts down on the papers. His expression darkened as his thoughts continue, _and how could I forget? I would be supporting the two pieces of crap that call themselves our fathers, the same fathers that would be living off of my blood, sweat, and tears. _

_My future with Ukyo wouldn't be much better. She is a cook first and a martial artist second. Her Ideal future with me would involve me helping to run her restaurant. I don't really think she knows how important my martial arts are to me. I can almost see it her forbidding me from going on training trips because she needs me in the restaurant, Her trying to stop me from fighting challengers, All that to live up to HER dreams. Not my ideal future._

_I suppose that would be better than what would happen with Shampoo. SHE would drag me off to china to live as a third class citizen. I can see it now the elders crippling me so that I wouldn't be stronger than ninety-nine percent of their population. I would be expected to be a good little house husband, expected to do all the cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. My male children would probably be treated like mousse and/or suffer similar fates, while my female children would be forced into the Amazon traditions._

_Kodatchi, her therapy is going well. She mainly 'keeps after me' to keep up appearances. Heh, the one that is thought of as the crazy one is friendlier to me than all my 'official' fiancées combined. _

The pigtailed man's expression went full brooding as his thoughts continue, _why are all these girls after me anyway? I know some are family honor and one is due to some archaic laws that have no place in any other society, but there has to be SOMEONE else that they can find to bother. I mean half of the world's population is guys. Locally there are… scratch that they're Kuno and the hoard… anyway there must be SOMEONE better than me out there for them. _

_On that note what do they REALLY think of me? Sometimes I feel like it's a contest and I'm the prize. I'm wondering if ANY of them love me for me. Do they? Do I love any of them? I guess that this is as good a time as any to think about these questions. _

_I have the most contact with Akane. She is my fiancée due to an agreement before I was born. I have NO idea why she hasn't requested the engagement be switched. Her claim is one of family honor. Does she love me? No I don't think so, how could she? She nether knows me or trusts me. How can she know me? We don't talk except to fight it has been that way since the beginning. I think she sees me as an object to own and control, she doesn't want to lose what is 'hers.' If she truly wanted to be my fiancée she would at least TRY to listen to my side of things before hitting me. In fact she seems to have this mentality that whatever happens is my fault… not that that's any different than anyone else around here. Ryoga is a perfect example, he pops up screaming for me to die and she tells me to stop 'picking on him.' I think I might have loved her once… then again she was also one of the few people to offer to be friends so it could have been just me latching onto the first nice person that I had met in _years_. If I had loved her I fell out of it due to the constant beatings, her lack of trust, and her temper. I am partially at fault with my foot in mouth disease, but she has gotten to the point that she loses her temper at the drop of a hat… literally._

*flashback*

"I'm home!" Ranma called out. He then walked into the Tendo house, brushing by a hat on a coat rack. The hat fell on the floor. "Oops ill get that." Ranma said as Akane walked into the room in time to see the hat fall.

"Ranma! How could you!" Akane screamed as she sent him into LEO.

*End flashback*

_I have my problems, I know I do. I haven't worked through them because they have saved my life. My Moko tabasha is biased off my confidence if I take care of my cocky attitude I would die, because I would lose that attack, or at least much of the power behind it. She on the other hand is in denial about her anger problems. She is also in denial about me being a better martial artist. That's it! That's the problem! I let her hit me, so she thinks she is better than me. I have made up my mind she will not hit me again. Perhaps if I do this she will get the picture. She expects to be better than me, even though I have been in intense training for fourteen years of my life, and in intense battles against extremely strong opponents for four years of my life. All she had to deal with are the hoard and a Kuno that held back against her. THOSE stopped shortly after I got here. I have never seen her spar with anyone, run through katas, or even seek training. She hasn't even done her normal training since she has gotten into collage. _

_I'm glad I live in the dorms now. Although it makes her worse when I go to the dojo to visit, and train with, pops._

_Ukyo I think I love… like a sister, NOT as a potential wife. She is after me because of honor, and that she has a crush on my six year old self. I don't think she loves me at all. A person doesn't go from trying to kill a person to loving them in a heartbeat. _

_Shampoo… I think I might actually hate her. I certainly don't trust her. She has made it perfectly clear that she CAN'T be trusted, with all those potions and spells. She claims to love me but she did that from the day I 'defeated' her, so I don't put much stock in those claims. She wants me as a trophy husband. The man who defeated Saffron would be a great ketch._

_Honor… my honor, my clans honor, and my fiancées' honor they are all at stake in this. My family honor is shot. No matter what I do this is true. The Amazons have proven that their entire culture has none, with all the potions, blackmail, and sneak attacks. The deal with Ukyo's father never involved honor to begin with. He knew that there was an honor engagement already active long before he met my dad. He expected pops to dishonor one engagement for another. _

_I hate my life, multiple fiancées, psychotic rivals, friends who want me dead, who are also psychotic rivals, and parents who want to use me to fulfill THEIR dreams. Not a single one has ever cared about MY dreams._

_What are my dreams? Do I have any? To be the best? No, that's my father's dream for me. To be a husband, then a father? No, at least not yet. Those are my mother's, my father's, and my fiancées' dreams. I don't have any dreams of my own do I? No, I was never allowed to develop them. The fat panda made sure of that. _

Ranma looked at his watch and saw the time. "Crap, mom wanted to meet me at the dojo today if I don't hurry I'll be late," he said.

He looked at what he had written, and said, "Wow, eight pages exactly what I needed…"

(AN: not a coincidental number it was how many pages my paper draft was up to this point.)

Suddenly, a purple haired young woman glomps onto the pigtailed man's arm. "You take Shampoo on date, yes?" she said.

Before he could reply two shouts were heard.

"Ranma, for cheating on Akane prepare to die!" a man with a headband, yellow shirt, and brown drawstring pants yelled.

"Get away from my Shampoo, Ranma" a man with thick glasses and white robes screamed.

Ranma sighed, and tore his arm away from Shampoo. His expression went from brooding to anger, as he turned on the two. "SHUT UP!" he screamed. "MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MINDS!" Both attackers stopped in shock at this uncharacteristic show of temper. Ranma pointed at the white robed man, and shouted angrily, "Mousse yesterday you where angry that I was talking to Akane nicely for a change saying that I was cheating on Shampoo! And you!" Ranma pointed at the man with bandana, as he continued, "You where trying your damndest to break me and Akane up! Both of you are worse than Kuno! At least THAT delusional moron is consistent.

The two looked at each other in confusion. Both of them where thinking _this is not how this normally goes_.

Suddenly a young laughing woman in a leotard jumped by twirling a ribbon. She snags Ranma in passing and jumps away with him. Nobody noticed the smile on Ranma's face.

Half an hour later the no longer laughing woman released Ranma. He turned toward her, and said, "Thanks for the save Kodatchi. I could have handled them, but it would have made me late. Could you tone down the fake laugh though? I thought you dropped it after the therapy?

Kodachi smiled as she responded, "Sorry, but it's for both of our safeties that the wrecking crew thinks I'm crazy. You're lucky I was passing by and could give you an out."

"True, did you find the item I asked you to?"

"I found it in the Kuno family vaults, but are you really going to use it?" Kodachi asked nervously

"I'm seriously considering it, and all the crap that goes on every day only serves to make it a more attractive option. Do you realize you're the only true friend I have? Everyone else wants to kill or marry me. My parents just want to use me," Ranma responded with a sigh.

"I see, could you take me with you?" Kodachi asked.

"What? Why?" Ranma asked in surprise.

"I am in much the same boat in respect to friends as you. You are the only real one I have as well," Kodatchi responded.

"You do realize that it will probably be a one way dangerous trip, right?" he asked seriously.

"I am," she responded grimly.

"Okay then you hold onto it, but you should pack lightly, and keep your pack handy in case things get to the point where I can't handle it anymore," Ranma said.

"I was packed as soon as I realized what it did. You should go before you're late to you meeting," Kodachi said.

* * *

T- minus two hours until Diana's reactor explosion. Location: Tendo Dojo

Ranma arrived at the dojo at around the dojo's dinner time. "I'm starved," the martial artist complained.

He entered the dojo to see his parents sitting at the table.

"Son, we need to talk," Nodoka said seriously.

Ranma sat down across from her, and asked, "What's up mom?"

"I have decided that I have waited long enough for proof of your manliness, so I have decided to give you a choice. Ether marry, and have a child in a year, or commit seppuku in accordance with the contract that both you and your father signed. Since your father put our honor on this engagement you will be marring Akane," As she said this Genma looked smug.

"Mom, may I see the contract?" Ranma ground out.

"Son, what's the matter?" Nodoka asked confused.

"Just let me see it!" he snapped

"Fine, but it's not very manly to snap at your mother," Nodoka scolded him while handing him the contract.

Ranma looked at the contract, and then at his parents, looking back at the contract he roared, "I HAVE HAD IT! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I THINK OF YOU, YOUR ULTIMATUM, AND THIS DAMN CONTRACT!" He then proceeded to rip the contract to confetti, and then blasted the remains with a small moko tabasha.

Nodoka looked on in shock as Ranma destroyed the contract. She then glared at Ranma, and said, "That's it, I declare you unmanly, and you have dishonored our family. I'll get the seppuku ceremony ready."

"I refuse to honor a contract that I was tricked into finger painting on by a man with less honor than a common garden slug, and enforced by a pervert worse than Happosai. Since you love that damn contract so much more than your son, it's obvious that you don't deserve ANY child, as such I'm leaving the clan forever, and with it all debts associated with it."

"Son, think of what you're doing! Without a family name you will be kicked out of your collage, and unable to find a good job," His mother said, panicked at the thought of actually losing him.

"Look at the bright side, no fiancées, no seppuku contract, and the ability to decide what is right for my future. Congratulations your ultimatum cost you two your son, and your dreams." Ranma said with an edge in his voice, as he walked to the phone. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? It's me; could you bring 'it' to the park? Yes the situation has become intolerable, and I have had to leave my clan. I see, in about one hour? I'll be there," Ranma said into the phone. He then started to walk out the door. He paused just as he was about to leave, and said, "Oh, and IF I have any kids, you will never see them." With that he left the dojo and his shocked parents behind.

* * *

T minus five minutes until Diana's reactor explodes. Location: Nerima Park

Kodachi and Ranma where both standing in the park looking at a mirror, the mirror had writing around the edge of the frame, half of the mirror was reflective black and the other half was gleaming silver, it looked like a yin-yang symbol. Kodachi was wearing a practical shirt and pants combination, as well as a midsized pack on her back. "The mirror of exchange," Ranma said in awe. "It can grant almost any wish, but there is a cost. Ready Kodachi?"

"Yes Ranma," she replied.

"Mirror I wish that we could be sent someplace where I could use my skills to help protect others, and where I can find happiness," as the words left his lips he felt a wrenching sensation in his body, and a white globe sprang up around them. An instant later the globe disappeared leaving the mirror behind to drop to the grass unharmed.

T- minus zero to reactor explosion.


	3. Chapter 1: A Demon gets Flattened

Foxstar One Half

Chapter 1: A Demon gets Flattened

AN: rookie nine are 16 years old. My own comfort with them being fighters, and involved in relationships demand it.

AN2: finally complete! This chapter has been in my 'in progress' bin for over a month.

AN3: Still no takers for my challenge...

AN4: a person complained about too many cliches last chapter, but in all honestly, all but the super extreme Akane (which I exaggerated slightly) are my opinions on how the characters of Ranma are.

It was a foggy day on an incomplete bridge. On this bridge were a blond surrounded by a red energy, a pincushion of an Uchiha, a pink haired fangirl, a fake hunter ninja whom just lost her mask, a half drunk bridge builder, a shirtless man using bandages for a mask with a large sword who had dogs biting onto him, and finally a man with silver hair that has just finished gathering what looked like lightning in his hand and started to charge.

The damasked girl had just jumped in front of the silver haired man when it happened.

A loud explosion rocked the occupants of the bridge. The shock wave of the blast knocked the charging ninja onto his back, and caused his attack to detonate on the bridge making a small crater. The girl who had moved into the way of the attack was face first into the bridge by the same shock-wave.

Most of the rest of the occupants of the bridge were far enough away, not to be knocked over, although the man that had the dogs on him was on the ground for a different reason.

The reason?

The bare-chested man was flattened under three people. The entire pile, from top to bottom, was; the man with the large sword, Ranma, Diana, and then Val. The young lady whom had jumped into the way of the silver haired man's attack slowly stood up, and in a panic looked to where the one she had given her loyalty to, crying out in worry, "Zabuza-Sama!" when she finally caught sight of her master and saw his situation she couldn't help herself, She fell to the ground laughing her ass off.

The silver haired man, stood up, and noting the danger was over pulled his headband down over his red eye. His face, even with only one eye visible was clearly bewildered at the current situation.

It was then that the small 'girl' on top of the pile started moving. "Diana!" she yelled. Hearing nothing she looked around, and it wasn't until she noticed that the surface she was on was moving that she looked down. Upon noticing that she was on her master, she immediately got off and turned around and prepared to perform a healing spell by summoning in a flash of green light, a staff with a green glowing arc on top of the staff. How she summoned the staff got the attention of the girl whom stopped laughing due to worry, and the silver haired jonin, especially since neither recognized how the staff was summoned, and felt no chakra for the summoning. Upon noticing it was a dog pile the small partner machine decided to just heal them all for an apology. "Resta!" she declared and became surrounded by a circle of white light.

As the light touched the three downed people there wounds started to heal, although in Zabuza's case the wounds being healed were far more severe. The kuni embedded in his shoulders popped out and clattered to the bridge, and the damage to his shoulders healed.

As the three started to move in the aftermath of the healing TECHNIC, a short pudgy man in a suit, backed by a small army of two hundred thugs, spoke up, "Well, looks like the famed Demon of the mist is nothing but a kitten since he got defeated by two teens and a little girl. Good thing I had no intention of paying you, and every intention of collecting your bounty." the pudgy man finished with a smirk.

"Get off," Zabuza yelled as he managed to get both the recovering Ranma, and Diana off of his back. "So Gato, you were going to betray me? Kakashi, our fight is over, and I'll help take care of this trash."

"And incidentally save a town from a tyrant that's pretty much killing everybody?" Kakashi asked sardonically.

"That's a bonus," Zabuza said with a smirk.

Then, before anyone could react, blasts of light started slamming into Gato. Accompanying the light blasts was an odd sound. Everyone turned toward the sound to see Diana standing up with a strange device that looked like a hand that had a thumb up and the pointer finger pointing forward, pointed at where the now holey Gato once stood. In her other hand was a glowing purple sword that looked to be made of energy.

"She killed our meEEEEAAACH," a thug in the lead of the group started before Val summoned her knuckle weapons and hit him with a full powered jab. This might not sound that bad, but the problem is that the difference in the height between the partner machine and the average human is enough to put her jab right at a sensitive part of the male anatomy. In this case the force of the punch, combined with the power of the B ranked knuckles, liquefied the organ on contact.

"Moko Takabisha," Ranma intoned angrily as he sent a large ball of mixed anger and confidence Ki at the cluster of thugs which knocked out a nearly a dozen, and blasted nearly the same amount over the bridge.

It was at this time that Diana summoned up her new ax. The ax looked like a giant horn with a glowing white strip on the edge. She yelled her battle cry as she ran into the fray, "I am Diana of the Alliance of Honor, **Prepare to DIE**."

The two jonin, looked on in shock, these three whom weren't even ninja, were decimating a small army of thugs, even if the pigtailed youth, whom just moved into close combat range, was fighting to disable and not kill. It to them was nearly terrifying that non ninja's could become powerful enough to make the bridge needed major, and minor, repairs. Gouges from weapons, craters from fists, and a rather large chunk that was blown away by Ranma's opening technique. While the slau- er fight was going on a certain Uchiha woke up and saw the girl he was fighting, Zabuza, and Kakashi, gaping at a fight that was winding down from two hundred verses three, to twenty running thugs verses three slightly tired individuals. Well there was also a crying bridge builder and a gaping fangirl.

A commotion sounded from behind the nins and everybody turned toward it to see a mob of villagers armed in most cases with improvised weapons. Upon seeing that Gato was dead along with his army, a massive cheer went up from the villagers. The cheer let the three slightly tired fighters relax, and accept the pats on the back from the ecstatic villagers.

The next day at the bridge builder's house, as the bridge builder was working on the bridge protected by the genin, the jonin, the missing nin, and the girl were grilling the strangers. Kakashi and Zabuza came to a truce as the reason for their fight was now over.

"So, who are you, and what are you doing here?" Zabuza asked curiously.

"I don't know, I was fighting a SEED infection at guardian HQ, and then next thing I know, I'm on top of you and him," Diana responded jerking her thumb at Ranma.

"It might be my fault," Ranma said. This of course drew their attention to the martial artist. "I was using a magic mirror called the 'Mirror of Balance' that is supposed to grant wishes for a price. The cost was apparently twenty percent or more of my maximum strength being removed until I can build myself back up to that level, but anyway my wish was 'Mirror I wish that we could be sent someplace where I could use my skills to help protect others, and where I can find happiness,'" Ranma continued lamely.

The implications of the wish struck Diana hard. Her home was being invaded, and the wish had dropped him there, not only that but it had dropped him apparently on her lap, but she found she couldn't complain as this was better than being dead by exploding generator.

"Although I'm surprised such a beautiful woman was dragged along with me," Ranma finished.

The words struck Diana hard, not because they weren't sincere, but because of the opposite being true. Nobody at home really looked twice at her due to her inability to use TECHNICs, which among the Newmen race is considered an aberration, then a fairly attractive male simply commenting on her looks with full sincerity was too much for her. "I'm _not_ interested in you," she replied harshly before leaving the room in tears, and soon after, the house.

"Ummm, What?" Ranma asked.

"Don't look at me kid, I haven't been in a serious relationship myself," Zabuza admitted.

"Men," Haku muttered. "I'll talk to her." Haku then stood up and left the room to look for the dark skinned woman.

"Umm, I know," Val spoke up.

"Yes?" Ranma asked. "Will you please tell me?"

"Why do you want to know? I won't tell you if I think your going to hurt her," Val asked with a glare at the martial artist.

"Of all the women I have met, for some reason she, catches my attention as someone I feel like I could become more than friends with," Ranma answered softly.

Val's eyes widened then narrowed. "I see, I will say a few things. First is she just broke up with somebody that was just using her to win a bet. Second, she has a secret that has lowered her sense of worth, which also means that she thinks she will be abandoned in a relationship. Lastly if you hurt her, I will do to you what I did to the first guy I fought on the bridge, now I have to catch up to Diana," Val stated.

"Wait Val, will you tell her that I have a very open mind about odd things, because I too have a secret that prevents most people from having a relationship with me?" Ranma asked.

Val paused on her way out and asked, "Secret?"

"I'll tell everybody that needs to know at once, to prevent me from having to explain everything multiple times." Ranma states dryly. He then turns toward Kakashi and asks, "Since I at least, am looking for a place to help out, and it appears the troubles here are over, what's your town like?"

"Peaceful most of the time, when not in a war, but if what you say is true, then soon either here, Konoha, My group, or Zabuza and his partner will need help. I can contact the Hokage to see if he'll accept you, and possibly her, into Konoha as ninja, or if you prefer citizens," Kakashi answered tiredly. "That will allow you to be close to two of the four people or places that need help, and a few days travel from the third. From what I saw of your skills the Hokage should be happy to accept you."

"Kakashi, do you think we could come as well?" Zabuza asked warily. "We are quite frankly getting tired of being on the road, and joining a village that doesn't have a genocidal Kage would solve that."

A surprised Kakashi answered, "I'll check, just expect to be put on probation."

"I know, and thanks," Zabuza answered.

Kakashi nodded and left to compose his message to the Hokage and send it with one of his dog summons.

Meanwhile Diana was sitting in a clearing trying to get herself under control. Ironically it was the same clearing that Naruto first met Haku, but this clearing was about to have a meeting of a far less amicable nature.

"There you are," an arrogant voice sounded from the treeline.

"Who are you?" Diana asked calmly while standing up.

"Sasuke Uchia," the boy replied. "I saw your fight on the bridge, and have decided to take you as my wife."

"No," Diana replied scowling.

"I command you to strip so we can start restoring my clan!" Sasuke snarled as he approached the brown skinned woman.

"And what makes you think you can command me?" Diana replied with narrowed eyes.

"I am the last of the Uchia clan, so commoners like you must obey me," The black haired boy snarled as he moved in and grabbed her chest. He started working on the fastenings of her clothes taking advantage of her shocked state.

Then it happened, from his back he was struck hard enough to break three ribs on his left side. The pain of the strike was enough to cause him to release Diana, whom quickly collected her wits and decked the arrogant Uchia, the punch knocked out his upper front teeth, while the followup punch knocked the boy out, and cracked his jaw. The boy was sent backward to land on his back, although a stone at the landing point made sure that he would have a nice headache upon awakening.

A week later found all three groups at the end of a completed bridge. With a set of three statues off to one side. The statues showed Ranma with a remarkable rendition of his Ki blast being sent from his hand, Val striking with her glove weapon, and Diana in a shooting pose with her pistol, beneath the set of statues was a plaque stating, "Hero's of Wave."

The three people depicted in the statues sweat-dropped at the sight, while a certain tied up Uchia was pissed. "Why did you make statues of those losers? You should have made one of me!" He declared arrogantly. "and LET ME LOOSE!"

The reason why the boy was tied up? Rape of a civilian, in Konoha, carries a harsh penalty. While Sasuke didn't actually succeed in his endeavor, the fact that he had attempted it means he had to be restrained for punishment

"Yah, you saw how he took down those thugs and Gato!" a pink haired banshee screamed.

Everybody, including Sasuke looked at the pink haired girl strangely, before they promptly decided to ignore her.

"Because we fought, and killed Gato and defeated his army, while Sasuke got pin-cushioned, and a few days later tried to rape somebody," Ranma snarled.

"She should have just let me do what I intended, when the council hears about this, they'll force her to become my bride as penalty for attacking me!" Sasuke declared proudly.

*cough* "Sorry Sasuke, but they can't engage her without her permission since she isn't apart of the village yet, and since she'll most likely be a ninja if she does join, the council won't have a say in it either, and before you ask, no they cannot be forced to teach you their techniques or give you their weapons," Kakashi explained again, for the fifth time since the incident, with a sigh.

"But Imfff," Sasuke started only to be interrupted by Val gagging him with a strip of duct tape.

Everyone turned to stare at the partner machine whom was smiling unrepentantly. "What? He was annoying," she said innocently.

"You little bitch how dare youmfff," Sakura started angrily before she too was taped.

"She was too," Val said so innocently that everybody could have swore they saw a halo over her head.

Kakashi sighed sighed and replied, "Lets just go, we need to be get to the village as soon as possible." Although he was privately glad that _somebody_ shut Sakura up. "and Sakura, don't remove the tape until you can be quite."

The trip to the village took around the same amount of time that the trip _to_ wave did, and the reason for this? Sakura had the lowest stamina and speed of the group, although the next lowest in both stamina and speed, Diana, was also unable to travel by tree hopping.

The group traveled as far as possible the first day, and by the time they stopped to set up camp Sakura was dead on her feat, Diana was tired but not exhausted, and everybody else could have kept going easily.

Ranma pulled out some camping supplies from his hidden weapon pocket, which he had learned through observation by the hundredth fight with Mousse, the supplies included a single tent and sleeping bag, cookware, and food.

As Ranma set up the tent he saw the ninjas doing the same, but he also noticed one person was _not_ setting anything up. Diana, whom as she wasn't expected to be transported to such a primitive society, and out of contact with her headquarters, had left her supplies at the foot of her bed. Ranma placed the sleeping bag in the tent and walked over to Diana. there's a tent set up for you over there," he said and pointed to where he had set up his tent.

"Huh?" Diana replied.

"I set up a tent for you over there, and there's a sleeping bag over there as well," Ranma said again.

"Where will you sleep?" Diana asked. "I don't want pity," she finished with narrowed eyes.

"I have some extra bedding, I'll use that. Don't worry it's not pity," He said offhandedly as he walked away.

Soon everybody was gathered around the campfire, and Ranma took this opportunity to speak up, "since it looks like it'll rain tonight, I felt like I should tell you something." Ranma started, and took a small thermous with a blue cap out from his hidden weapons space. "when I was six My father took me on a ten year training trip, and at the end of it he took me to a place called Jesenkyo. The place used to consist of hundreads of small pools of cold water, and had bamboo sticking up from both the springs themselves, and lots of mist. All in all it looked like a normal training ground for balance exorcizes..."

"But?" Diana prodded.

"The springs are cursed," Ranma stated calmly

"Cursed?" Kakashi asked frowning while thinking of Anko's cursed mark.

"Yes, when somebody falls into a spring they take the form of whatever drowned in there last. Hot water turns the person back to his/her original form, and cold water turns the person into his/her cursed form," Ranma finished.

"What spring did you fall into?" Val asked. "and is this what you meant before?"

"Yeas Val, it was, and I fell into the spring," Ranma started, before he emptied the thermous over his head. "Of drowned girl."

"Thank you for telling me Ranma, this will prevent a fight if you happen to get wet," Kakashi said as he watched Ranma get some hot water and change back.

"So kid, what exactly changes when you do? I mean besides the obvious. Do you like guys in that for..." Zabuza started, but he stopped when he noticed a red aura starting to form. "Hey, just asking."

Ranma calmed down as he remembered that he wasn't in Nerima, and this group has the potential to be friends, as long as he doesn't alienate them. "No it's okay, I received too much unwanted male attention where I came from. The answer is some tastes and smells are different. Some are more intense, and others are dulled. My balance, agility, and strength also shifts. I also still like girls."

Kakashi with some regret, untapped his students as soon ad the meal was ready.

Now that Sakura was free to speak she responded to what she had heard. "**You Pervert!**" she screamed and tried to hit Ranma, thinking that like Naruto when he used his sexy jitsu that Ranma would just take it, he didn't.

Ranma grabbed the pink haired girls fist with minimal effort, and responded, "Exactly _how_ am I a pervert? Is it because I have a _curse_ I _didn't_ _ask for_? Or is it just what _your_ imagination says that I do with my _curse_?" Ranma snared, and at each emphasized word tightens his grip.

Sakura, now on her knees cried out, "Let go it hurts, I'm sorry!"

Ranma let go after a few more seconds. "Next time, don't accuse someone without a _real_ reason, and be careful of whom you attack."

"Sakura-chan! Why did you do that?" Naruto asked angrily.

"Because I know her type, I'm guessing you're her punching bag, and so I have some advice. Stop letting her hit you. A bitch like her will simply get worse if you do. I had someone similar at my old home, she labeled me a pervert at the slightest provocation," Ranma responded.

"Th-thats not true!" Naruto declared.

"Kid, I want you to think through every interaction that you have had with her, and if you can tell me honestly, that you had more good experiences than bad, I'll shut up," Ranma shot back. "oh and tell me in a week, that way you'll have enough time to think." Ranma turned around and left to get his share of food and find a somewhat sheltered place to sleep with his spare blanket and leaving behind a thoughtful blond.

Diana looked at the retreating back of the retreating martial artist with a confused expression. What did he mean that he had known somebody like Sakura? Why did he see something interesting in her? Why did he react so strongly to Zabuza's question? Where is Haku? All these questions and more were whirling through the confused mind of the guardian. She just hoped the next day would answer some of them...

End Note. Nice cliff hanger huh?


End file.
